monsbrick

October is here! Wow!

My intention this month is to maintain some work-life balance. June 1st through September was a mess of overtime, sibling in crisis including suicide watch and addiction.

I’m praying and manifesting peace for the autumn harvest equinox. Peace in my personal life.

Thank you for swapping with me! Swap-bot is the first site I go to every day. You all provide great joy to my life and creative artistic expression and personal sharing. Thank you for all the gifts, letters, and thoughts and your stories. I cherish them.

Pease let me know if you do not receive my swap! Or if the postage was not enough. I will make it right! You can message me here at Swap-Bot. Thanks!!

Hi! I’m in Alameda, across the bay from San Francisco. Every morning I wake up before dawn. I love life and often do crafts first thing in the morning. Not big projects, as I catch an early ferry boat into The City. Locals here call it that as if it were the only city. I’m from here but still think it’s funny. Some of my friends never leave the City and consider me west coast “bridge & tunnel crowd now.” Versus New York bridge & tunnel. My Mom is a New Yorker.

But whatever, I wish I lived even farther in the woods or out in the rural country. I love nature and wandering around trails along barren coastline.

My family of origin is enormous and problematic. But I have my husband, Carl and his daughter, Sabrina. She inspired or taught me most of the crafts I do now. Our fav thing to do on weekends is cartoons and crafts. Well she sleeps in more and more since she’s 16, going on 17 years old now.

Here’s a good example of learning a craft from her. I hear pounding on our patio work table. I go outside to see what she’s doing. She has foraged flowers and is pressing them into stationery. We pound flowers and forage for more blooms all day.

This year we adopted a puppy, Sunny. She’s from a local animal shelter, part terrier and part chihuahua. I usually prefer big dogs but she’s a good egg. And pretty smart. She loves stones and rocks like me Sabrina, and Carl. She often digs up stones to give to me. We save the collection on our work table. One of our craft tables.

I was brought up conservatively and sheltered from all the free love of 1969 and hippie freedom. But I find that I’ve embraced that Bohemian attitude but there’s still an element of conservative structure inside me. So I’m eclectic.

For style, I’ve been experimenting with various art forms and mediums. I’ve been a repressed artist and I’m letting all of my inner artists out to play.

I swim at dusk since my work schedule switched to earlier. Any time I’m in the water is a good time.

I work too much. I’ve been in various 12 step groups for recovery, AA, Al Anon, SLAA. I’ve done lots of varieties of therapy and I feel like I still need more but art seems to be my main therapy lately,

Balance is the key.

Finally getting started with handmade art cards and postcards. I’ve never considered myself an artist well I helped in the art community creating installations and putting events together but I’m finally doing some art work. It’s super fun. I am delicate about what I create but I’m bravely sending out creations now pushing them into the world. Little pieces of work. I try to make art every day not like a job but I feel excited about creating. I’ve been doodling and making collages and painting.

Next I want to try resins as varnishes. I love that thick glossy coating!

I’m drawn to simple Zen or Swedish style designs. But I’m dabbling and testing all sorts of art forms.

My aunt used to teach art and I admire her work. She is in her 80s now and has been self sustaining as an artist. She takes old textiles like tapestries and repurposes then. She has fabulous connections to Hollywood movie sets and wardrobe. I work next door to one of the Union wardrobe for theater in SF and the SF Ballet. I should ask them about old sets, props, and clothing or textiles. Hmmm... but yes I admire my aunt’s work though I’ve always thought I could never be as skilled as her. Maybe in another 30+ years! I’m 51 yrs old now...so much to learn and try and DO!

Crystals and stones and other similar items. I’m a big fan of glass like sea or beach glass or any glass really. Pink is big for me my heart needs healing from lots of early childhood trauma and family trauma. If you have to share in that vein send it my way.

Collage Random paper media Ephemera All kinds of Stamps Postage stamps Gelatos Fabric pieces Ribbons

Odd items like found glass, leaves, shells, ribbons, Beading Knitting, especially cotton (I’m allergic to wool) sketching Watercolor, acrylic, charcoal, alcohol ink Coloring and Doodling

Crystals & gems I have a nice collection of these and I’m trying to release some back into the world. Let me know if you are interested in some.

Books, Music, Films: I love films. I regularly go to the public library here in San Francisco and check out tons of books, music & film.

Books: currently reading in fiction everything by Ursula LeGuin, Paolo Bacigalupi, Neil Gaiman, Hugh Howey, William Gibson, Neal Stephenson.

On my nightstand are a mix of Henry Miller and Jack Kerouac and John Muir. They have in common writing about California in a solo hiking naturalist way. They are similar to hiking travel logs.The book Wild by Cheryl Strayed is also in my To Read pile but I saw the movie and I’m convinced that solo hiking would be too dangerous for me. I desired it when I was younger. I have loved camping alone, too.

How have I not mentioned Francesca Lia Block! I’vebeen reading and memorizing her phrases for decades!

Also I own almost all Oliver Sacks books such as Musicophelia, Oaxaca the shortest and my favorite! Not because it is short. And The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, also Awakenings which they made into a film starring Robin Williams. I listen to his voice on interviews and podcasts too. I’m obsessed with his odd neuroscience.

Secretly I love Danielle Steele. I can reas her books inside a Day. They don’t make me smarter nor raise my IQ but I love the rags to riches every time. I just LOVE her writing style. As a teenager, my boyfriend worked at her health club. He was a member too so I could lay out by the pool near her and some of her many children. Sometimes I think she would write. She wore great big sun hats. I never approached her nor asked her for an autograph. But I think of her when I read her books. Up in Napa or St Helena to be exact.

I have had similar odd experiences with other writers. I find it important not to interrupt their flow but enjoy watching them from a distance. Like an author voyeur.

If I met the Buddha on the road, what would I do?

When I meet homeless people every day I try to be more compassionate instead of feeling disgust. It’s a little challenge. I can be really mean in my own head. Jack Kornfield is my current big spiritual inspiration. A Path with Heart and After the Ecstasy the Laundry could be my own biographies.

But I’ve been a Youth Minister, now I’m a Thelemite. And I love me some Mah-jongg which is more like gambling but I lay the cards as a meditation. Like some sacred geometry of time from a Sting song. I don’t play for the money I win and I don’t play for respect.

Cookbooks & DIY & HGTV sorts of projects (I don't really DO many projects but I still love to watch tv shows and read and listen to free podcasts on these topics). Anthony Bourdain, Giada, the Barefoot Contessa, & Guy Fieri are a few favorites.

Non-fiction topics: I listen to political shows/watch a lot of news; environmental stuff, travel channel, I even watch the home shopping networks lately.

I'm completely open to what you send. I don't have any specific wishes. Just send what you like.

I love all colors. Here are a few ideas to throw around: jewel colors like bright vivid purple, red, pink, red.

I also love pastel colors: lavender, lilac, rose.

I love seasonal colors: for Autumn-- pumpkin, cinnamon, cardamon colors.

For the Winter-- sparkling, shimmering, crystals, icing I love all these styles.

For Spring-- pastels and soft colors have been captivating me I love the spring. Rain, thawing snow, little baby leaves and animals.

For Summer, I love tropical colors and also the blue water, the sandy beach, and flowers.

I love Art: Impressionist painters like Monet, Seurat, Toulouse-Lautrec.

And Dada-like the cut out words.

Surrealist Artists such as Magritte and Dali and more.